Player-piano.



No. 889,685. PATBNTED JUNE 2, 1908.

G. HOGHMAN.

PLAYER PIANO.

APPLIOATION FILED MARIE 190a.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 1.

v WITNESSES 8 INVENTOI? R No. 889,685. PATENTED JUNE 2, 1908. G. HOOHMAN.

PLAYER PIANO.

APPLICATION FILED MAR. 12, 1908.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 2. 2' 2.

. INVENTOR M M r 8 m a WITN ESSES GEORGE HOOHMAMOF NEW YORK, N.

PLAYER-PIANO.

- Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented June 2,1908.

Application filed March 1 2, 1908. Serial No. 420,711.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, GEORGE HoonMAN, acitizen ol the United States, and a resident of the city of New York, borough of Manhattan, in the county and State of New York, have invented new and useful Improvements in Fla or-Pianos, of which the following is a full, 0 ear, and exact description.

The invention relates to player pianos in which the piano keys are connected with electrical or pneumatic actuating devices.

The object of the invention is to provide certain new and useful improvements in layer pianos, whereby actuating devices can lie readily disconnected from the keys 'to allow convenient removal of the entire key board and keys whenever it is desired to re- '3-3- of Fig. 2;

pair the action or for other purposes.

The invention consists oi novel features and parts and combinations of the same, which will be more fully described hereinafter and then pointed out in the claims.

A practical embodiment of the invention is represented in the accompanying drawings forming a part of this specification, in which similar characters of reference indicate correspoi'iding parts in all the views.

Figure 1 is a sectional front elevation of part of a player piano of the electro-magnet type and on which the improvement is a plied; Fig. 2 is a transverse section of tie same on the line 2 2 of Fig. 1; Fig. 3 is a sectional plan view of the same on the line ig. 4 is a perspective view of one of the connection keepers for a key; and Fig. 5 is a sectional side elevation of one of the actuating rods.

A key board A of any approved construetion consists of the key frame A, on which aremountcd to swing the keys A in the usual manner, and the sa1d key iramc A is v removably supported on the board B forming part of the piano frame.

On the under side of each key A and near the front end thereof is held a horizontally disposed keeper C, preferably made of wire bent into a fork open at the front (see Rig. 4-), the wire terminating in a vertically threaded shank C, screwing into the bottom of the key A". Each. of tl 1c keepers (l is adapted to be engaged on top by the head l) of an upright actuating rod D, forming part of the actuating mechanism for the key, the said actuating mechanism represented in the drawing being of electro-111agnot type. A pair of electro-' magnets E is provided with an oscillating armature -F,-on which the lower end of the corresponding rod D is secured by set screws G or other means, it being understood that an actuating device as described is employed for each key A to actuate the same whenever the corresponding elcctro-magnet is excited and causes its armature F to oscillate.

The actuating devices are mounted on a support H, preferably in the form of a box having afront door H adapted to be swung downward into an open position, to permit access to the actuating devices for repairs and other purposes. Tfhe support H is provided at its ends with bolts 1 having wing nuts I and extending through angular slots J formed 'in the brackets J attached to the under side of the board B. The angular slots J are L-shaped, that is, have hOllZOIltal and .ve'rtical portions, as lainly indicated in Fig. 2, to permit of sli ing the sup port Hand with it the actuating devices for Ward and then straight downward into the position shown in dotted lines .in Fig. 2, so that the heads D move out of'en agement with the keepers C and drop down below the top surface of the board B, as indicated in dotted lines in Fig. 2, to permit of removing the entire key board from the board B witi out interfering with the actuating devices.

It is understood that normally the bolts I extend in the rear of the horizontal portions of the angular slots J, so that the top of the support Habuts against the under side of the board B, and when the wing nuts I are screwed u the said su ort H is held firml r P i P 3 in position, and the reads D enga e the keepers C. Now when a pair of eectro-' magnets E are excited and its armature F is caused to oscillate, then the corresponding rod 1) is drawn downward so that its head D acts on the keeper 0, to im art a swingin r motion to the key A, whicli, by the usua. piano action, causes the sounding of the corresponding string.

vr'hen the electro magnets E are denergized,,the armature F returns to its previous position by the action of a spring or other means (not shown), and consequently the rod D moves upward, thus allowing the key A to swing back to its normal position of rest.

When it is desired to remove the key board, it is only necessary for the operator to loosen the wing nuts I and then to draw the support H forward, so that the rods D and their heads 1) disengage the keepers C and then'the support 11' is allowed to drop until ,takes place the heads D of the rods l) are below the top surface of the board B, ahd

- conse uently the keyboard A can be re-.

move. without the slightest interference with the actuating mechanism.

j keys.

The sup ort H is preferablyprovided at its top wit an apertured rail K for'g'uidingthe rods D, as will be understood. by reference to Figs. 1 and 3.

In order to prevent the support H from oscillating while being moved into a lowermost position or back to a normal position,

' the support is provided at its rear with sidewise extending flanges H adapted to abut against the brackets J at the time the cup port H is moved toward, and the bolts lmove in the vertical portions of the slots J. When the bolts 1' move in the vertical portions of the slots J,'then the top of the suport H abuts against the under side of the board B, and consequently oscillating of the support H is prevented when moved into either of the two positions above described.

The u)per end of each rod D and the under side of each head D is preferably provided with a covering 1) of rubber or other suitable material, so as to revent metallic contact between the keeper 1 and the actuating rod. As the keepers C are open at the front it is evident that the up er ends of the rods 1) readily slide into the gdrks to engage the heads D with the to as of the kecpers'O, to establish connection etween the actuatin mechanisms and the keys A.

y the arrangement described all the actuating mechanisms are quickly disconnected from .the keys A whenever it is desired to remove the key board A from the piano for repairs'or other purposes. The actuating mechanisms can be readily re-connected with the keys after the key board has been placed back. into the usual position on the nano frame. t

I aving thus described my invention, I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent:

.1. A player piano provided with a. key board, actuating devices having connections for removable engagement with the keys, and a removable support carrying the said actuating devices to permit of disengaging the said connections from-the keys and to move the connections out of the path otthc key board when placing the latter in position on the piano or removing it therefrom.

2. A player piano provided with a keyboard, having keys, and actuatin devices removably connected with the said toys th said actuating devices being bodily movable to disengage the actuating devices from the A la er iano' rovided with a kev P l P board, having eye, and actuating devices said actuating devices to connect and disconnect the'said rods and the said keepers.

5. A player piano provided with a removable keyboard having its keys provided at the underside with opcn'kcepers, actuating devices each having a headed rod for removable connection with-a correspondingkeeper, a movable support carrying the said actuating devices, and a fixed guideway for said support to slide in. a horizontal and vertical direction.

6; A player piano provided with aremovable keyboard having its keys provided at the under side with open keepers, actuating devices each having a headed rod for removable conncction with a corresponding keeper,

a movable support carrying the said actuating devices, a iixed guideway for said support to slide in a horizontal and vertical direction, and means for holding the said support against oscillating while sliding it.

4 7. A player piano provided with a removable keyboard, having its keys provided at the under side with open keepers, actuating devices each having a headed rod for removable connection with a corresponding keeper, a, movable support carrying the said actuating devices, and provided at its ends with.

bolts, and brackets having angular slots ongaged by the said bolts. v

8. A player piano provided with a removable keyboard, having its keys provided at the under side with openkeepers, actuating devices each having a headed rod for remov able connccti on with a corresponding keeper, a movable support carrying the said actuating devices, and provided at its ends with bolts, and at its back with flanges, and bracketa having angular slots engaged by the said bolts, the back of the brackets being adapted to be engaged by the said flanges at the time the bolts reach the vertical portions of the said slots, and the-top ot' the said sup ort resting against the under side of the ed keyboard base at the time the bolts are in the horizontal portions of the said slots.

9. A player piano provided with an open keeper on the under side of each key, and an actuating (le /haecarrying a headed rod for removable migagemcnt with the said keeper.

'10. A. player piano provided with an open Beacon actuatin device carrying a headed rod for removab e engagement w th the said keeper, the said rod having its upper portion and the under side of the head'provided with a covering.

s 11. A layer piano provided with aTemovable key oard, having its keys provided at thevunder side with open keepers, actuating devices each having aheaded rod for ren1ovable connection with a corresponding keeper,

and a movable support carrying the said ac- 1 tuating devices to connect and disconnect 1 the said rods and the said keepers, the said support having a guide rail for the said rods.

In testimony whereof I have signed my 15 name to this specification in the presence of two subscribing Witnesses.

GEORGE HOCHMAN.

'VVitnesses THEO. G. HosTEn, EVERARD B. MARSHALL. 

